Learning Resources

Abstract: In 1998, the Texas legislature wanted to change the health-related institutions’ appropriations method to formula funding using the 1992 space model. Many legislators questioned the accuracy and validity of this model due to large predictions of unmet space needs. At the request of the Senate Committee on Finance, the commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board appointed an Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from all 11 Texas health-related institutions to review the 1992 model. This article describes the consensus environment and process that fostered the development of the January 1999 compromise space model.

Abstract: This article analyzes educational mission in terms of three foundational questions: what is the purpose of higher education, who should higher education serve, and how does the higher education institution fit in to the larger society? The author considers the factors influencing the mission of higher education within the context of these questions. She argues that institutions must define a clear and vibrant mission arising from their individual value systems by answering the three questions.

Abstract: This article describes and examines a new approach to planning at the system level of a large Midwestern university, the University of Missouri. It is addressed to planners, researchers, and practitioners who want to introduce new approaches and techiques for planning and management at the system level of higher education.

Abstract: The concept of shared governance is at the cornerstone of any planning process at American colleges and universities. Respecting this need for representation, however, has created an atmosphere in which participants in the planning process have come to view their role as that of oversight aimed at protecting a constituency more than insight intended to help move an institution forward. This article suggests a strategy that can address the criticism of higher education's inertia when it comes to moving from planning to decision making while maintaining the participative management style of shared governance.